S14 Ep13: The Case Of Barry Prudom
Blood Ties Podcast
Peter Shevlin
4.4 • 668 Ratings
🗓️ 11 May 2026
⏱️ 26 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of Blood Ties, Geoffrey and Molly Wansell investigate the terrifying case of Barry Prudom, the fugitive killer known as the 'Phantom of the Forest'. An electrician turned murderer, Prudom sparked the biggest manhunt in British history after shooting dead PC David Haigh in June 1982.
Over the following days, he killed two more men while evading capture across the forests and countryside of northern England. Armed, highly dangerous, and trained in survival techniques linked to the SAS, Prudom stayed one step ahead of police for eighteen days.
His ability to disappear into the wilderness shocked the nation and exposed the limits of Britain’s police forces. Geoffrey and Molly unravel the story of the manhunt, the fear that gripped the country, and the extraordinary final pursuit that brought Prudom’s deadly escape to an end.
CREDITS:
Presenters: Geoffrey and Molly Wansell
Producer: Peter Shevlin https://pod60.com/
Artwork: George Leigh
Music: Dan Wansell
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This week on Blood Ties. |
| 0:14.1 | On the 17th of June, 1982, |
| 0:18.0 | police constable David Haig, who's 29 and has three children, |
| 0:22.5 | he sent arrest a poacher in North Yorkshire, |
| 0:26.3 | and the man was sleeping rough. |
| 0:33.4 | But he comes across Barry Proudham sleeping in his car. |
| 0:38.3 | Entirely by accident, I mean, he hasn't gone to see Barry or anything like that. |
| 0:42.8 | He's there for some completely different reason. |
| 0:48.8 | He speaks to him and then he goes back to his panda car to his written down |
| 0:55.3 | registration and what the man's name |
| 0:57.9 | he said was and all that |
| 0:59.3 | and for no reason that we can possibly fathom |
| 1:02.6 | Proudon gets out of his car |
| 1:04.6 | takes out his barretta and shoots him in the head |
| 1:06.8 | The Hi, I'm Molly Wonsall. |
| 1:18.6 | And I'm Geoffrey Wonsall. |
| 1:20.6 | We're a father and daughter, as those of you who listened to Blood Ties in the past will remember, |
| 1:24.6 | and we meet every week, and often our conversation has turned to murder, |
| 1:29.0 | which is why we originally launched Blood Ties and why we've now decided to bring it back |
| 1:33.9 | in its new fresher form. |
| 1:36.2 | We're really excited to be back and we would love it if you could also check out our Patreon. |
| 1:41.2 | Just search Blood Ties on Patreon. |
... |
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